Integrated manifold circuits

ABSTRACT

A HYDRAULIC CONTROL APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STANDARD MULTIPLE FUNCTION CONDUIT MODULES ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY PROGRAMMED INVARIOUS ARRAYS TO EFFECT SUBSTANTIALLY ANY REQUIRED HYDRAULIC CONTROL FUNCTIONS. THE APPRATUS IS FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY UNIVERSAL MULTIPLE FUNCTIN VALVE MODULES WHICH CO-OPERATE WITH THE CONDUIT MODULES IN EFFECTING THE CONTROL FUNCTIONS.

United States Patent [191 Raymond INTEGRATED MANIFOLD CIRCUITS [75] Inventors Robert E. najinnd'irivine, in

1 gn/3e: 'immiahy Corporation, New York,

[22] Filed: Mar. 31, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 129,785

Related 0.8. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 852,231, Aug. 22, 1969,

Pat. No. 3,589,387.

52 vs. c1. 137/269 511 Int.C1. F16k1l/00 58 Field ofSeareh 137/269, 271,596.15, 137/608, 625.69, 487.5, 596,;5962, 625.64; r 251/367 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1970 Beckett et al.. 137/269 X Tarbox 137/269 X Gray 137/271 Primary ExaminerHenry T. Kli'nkseik Assistant Examiner-Robert J. Miller Att0rneySchmieding & Fultz a r 57] ABSTRACT 17 Claims, 35 Drawing Figures REFERENCE POINT PATENTEDJumm 817,269

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PATENTEDJuu 1 81974 SHEET 03 U? 18 PATENTEDJummM v $817269 saw uuur18 PATENTEDJuu 18 m4 sum us or 18 PATENTEDJUH 18 I974 sum 01 or 1a PATENTEDJun 18 1914 saw 09 or 18 WQN NNN Qmw mmw NNN omw NmN vmN @NN mwm INTEGRATED MANIFOLD CIRCUITS This is a continuation of my co-ending application, Ser. No. 852,23l,-filed Aug. 22, 1969 now US. Pat. No. 3,589,387. 7

This invention relates generally to hydraulic apparatus and more particularly to fluid power control systems adapted to be fabricated from a plurality of multiple function standardized components.

In the fabrication of hydraulic control systems, such as power packages for the industrial field as well as for pump, motor and control valve assemblies for mobile equipment, military applications, and other uses where controlled fluid power systems are required, it has been the practice in the art to fabricate the control systems from various control valves and associated components that are connected in circuit by external piping.

In other instances, it is a practice in the art to join together such valves and components in contiguous relationship so as to eliminate some external piping by bolting together housings of individual components such that the ports in one housing connect directly with the ports of the next adjacent housings of the system. This approach has resulted in the elimination of certain external piping but the applications have been specialized and have consisted of custom built housings and bases constructed for the particular application without any provision for standardization and interchangeability of multiple function modular components. Such conventional hydraulic control systems which inherently require a plurality of individual control valves for performing different control functions have traditionally associated together various valves of both standard and specially designed construction, with the result that each of the individualcontrol valves has been incorporated in the overall control system as a separate species constructed of its own respective specialized valve components.

In accordance with the present invention, a unique system is provided for fabricating substantially any fluid powercontrol system to perform substantially any control function, both simple and sophisticated, from a plurality of multiple function standardized circuitforming block components of modules without the use of major interconnecting piping conduits.

As another aspect of the present invention, the circuit-forming modules are all uniquely arranged to include what will be termed herein a dual duct 4 port configuration which can be arranged and programmed with standardization to selectively provide series, parallel and series-parallel hydraulic circuitry applications.

As another aspect of the present invention, the novel system incorporates multiple function basic control valve modules of standardized construction, including a multiple function spool .valve element, which can be applied to the above mentioned system in a variety of selectively programmed modulating and switching configurations so as to provide a variety of control functions, as well as a variety of structural arrays such that virtually any simple or complex hydraulic control applications can be achieved from standardized multiple function valving modules. v

As another object of the present invention, the above mentioned standardized multiple function valve modules are adapted to co-operate in a unique way with the above mentioned multiple function valving module so as to permit the fabrication of substantially any composite hydraulic control system from a relatively small inventory of standardized multiple purpose blocks or modules of simple, inexpensive design.

As another aspect of the present invention, the standardized components include the unique combination of a standardized center block module adapted to register and co-operate with parallel side block modules in an infinite variety of arrays with said center block module providing the multiple function of a mounting means for the selected valving module and also the junction for a plurality of outwardly extending side arm assemblies of the above mentioned standardized conduit modules. Itwill be understood that with this arrangement, various different control and circuitforming functions can be respectively provided by the outwardly extending side arm assemblies with the switching of flow between the side arm assemblies being affected by the above mentioned center block and associated valve module so as to accomplish any selected interbranch valving function. Moreover, and most important, any or all of the above mentioned side arm assemblies can in turn be arranged to communicate with additional center blocks and thereby deliver a switched or controlled flow to a next successive valving module on the additional center block so as to vary, amplify or refine the flow. It will now be understood that various controlflows can be divided, combined, modulated, amplified and treated in various ways merely by the use of the standardized circuit-forming,

modules and valve modules defined above.

As still another aspect of the present invention, all of the above mentioned center block, side block and bus block modules, as well as 'spacer block -modules adapted for use therewith, are structurally standardized to the extend that their ultimate three-dimensional as sembly into an array of standard valve controlled branches can be accurately, schematically depicted on a two-dimensional schematicdrawing or flow strip such that even the more complex flow paths as well as the valving functions performed thereon can be easily designed and readily understood. This permits a hydraulic technician with ordinary skill to readily program a selected control system on a two-dimension flow diagram in a manner that he can readily select the necessary standardvalve modules required for the particular application. It should be emphasized that it is only by the overall standardization of all of the various components described above that such simplification of a threedimensional apparatus to a two-dimensional flow strip can be realized.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the invention is clearly shown. Y

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical fluid power control system, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the flow circuit of the hydraulic control apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents a flow strip display of the schematic flow circuit represented in the hydraulic control system of FIG. 2. This flow circuit of FIG. 3 is functionally the same as that shown in FIG. 2, but has been transposed into the flow strip from so as to show a dual duct passage arrangement of the various modules and components of FIG. 1. Such modules and components of FIG. 

